Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1887-10-25
Written for the Evening Capital.
ANNAPOLITAN GOSSIPS.


There are towns and there are
towns, but differ as they may as re-
CARDS their respective advantages or
disadvantage, they all possess, how
ever. at least one draw back is COM
mon. Some may be surrounded by
presidential atmosphere; others may
croan under the oppressive burden
Of enormous taxes. Some are situat-
ed in high ATTITUDES where the in
habitants are subjected to the cruel
r igor Of Arctic winters; others are
situated OH or about the equator
whre theinhabitants are oppressed by
the heat of tropical summers. Some
NAV be infested with gangs of coun-
terfeiters, burglars and murderers;
Others may possess an unlimited num-
Der of whiskcy shops; nevertheless
each aud every one is sure to have
its own private band of gossips, an
evil surprising in the enormity OF
its pernicious effects any other that
can be found in the catalogue of
crime. It seems hardly necessary
TO say that poor old Annapolis has
it's coterie of gossips, whose num-
bers, sad to relate, are in inverse
ratio to the size of the town. They
are the ''petticoated vultures OF hui
manity," as some author has aptly
termed them, who swoop down on
unsuspecting regulations and muir
der them in mid-air so that the pop
ulace may look on and enjoy the
beautiful (O sight. Audit is truly
remarkable how thoroughly these
gossip mongers do their work. No
conscientious scruples hinder them
from ther vivisections, for long
since they have encompassed their
feelings with an adamantiue coat in
order that 1T may not binder the
progress of their filthy traffic. La
Montaign says, "gossip is sort of
progressive lying" And so it is.
Starting with a distortion of fact it
enlarges like a rolling snow ball,
accommodating dirt as it goes along
until at last it becomes an ugly
mass of false hood and venom. For
example, Mrs. A. will meet Mrs. b.
on the street and after the exchange
of usual salutations, will remark !:
.sOh dear ! do you know that they
saw Mrs. G. danced outrageously
often with Mr.. ID. last night. This
is merely son dit, so for Heavens
sake don't say told you. Next
morning the story will have passed
from mouth to mouth, growing,
growing, each one adding sensa.
tional clause Of their own till at last
Mrs X. will be spreading it broad
cast that cit is an open secret that
Mr.. and Mrs. 9. have begun cross
suits for divorce" Alas ! for the
rarity of christian charity /! And
again, if two or three are gathered
together and they take up young
girl or a man or woman for dis
cussion they pick flaws till nothing
is left but should their victim hap
pen to approach they greet him or
her with smiles as sweet as honey.
Thus to the crime of SANDER they
add the sin of hypocrisy. Men
are bad enough goodnes knows but
after they have been painted by
these scandal mongers they are NOR
ally blacker than Belzebub ever was.
And it is upon the young that the
attacks Of these hateful gossips fall
most severely; for undeserved scan
dial hangs over them like the sword
Of Damocles and they are afraid to
do this or to do that, however,
free from wrong the act may be,
lest it be misconstrued and the sword
descend and pierce their regulations
and mar eternally their lives. It is
a shame that this should be the
case. but it is nevertheless so. Let
q young girl with an exuberance Of
spirit, a love of fun, and natural
f0ndness for the company Of young
men try to have q good time here;
she may be as pure as snow but she
win not escape the calumny that
the retailers Of scandal are ever
ready to heap upon her. In Life
Of Lincoln, /" the biographer says
that on one occasion ON intimate
friend Of the Presidents asked him
the extent Of his bank account and
Mr.. Lincoln replied: II have exact
y SO, 600. sTen thousand dol
lars repeated his friend il amaze
ment, how on earth did You make
it. To which Lincoln answered.:
II made $4,000 By minding my own